The Teacher of a Dragon
by Shadowblossom
Summary: Draco's grades are dropping, and he is in danger of failing the year. Professor Mcgonogall has a solution, a tutor. Everything is fine, until he finds out whos tutoring him. Not a romance fic, just read okay? Please, please, read and review!
1. The Favor

Disclaimer: Okay, let's face it. I own absolutely nothing related to Harry Potter, or any of the stuff that was created by J.K. Rowling. I give full credit to her. The only thing I think I own is the plot, and the power of the Authoress.  
  
A/N: This takes place during 5th year, it will never happen, and this IS NOT A ROMANCE FIC!!! Just read, okay?  
The Teacher of a Dragon By Shadowblossom  
  
***  
  
Draco Malfoy sat quietly, staring out the window, wishing with all his heart that he could be out on the grounds, sitting under a tree near the lake, with some food taken from the kitchens, maybe reading a good book..but, no. He was stuck in Transfiguration just now. He had pulled out some parchment, and occasionally he scratched something down with his quill to make it look like he was taking notes. He was just wondering what he would eat for lunch when a sharp voice cut across his thoughts.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy? Would you care to answer the question?"  
  
He searched his recent memories for the question. But he had no such luck.  
  
"Er.sorry Professor, what did you ask?"  
  
Most of the class around him snickered. "Stupid people," he thought absentmindedly, before turning his attention back to McGonogall.  
  
"If you remember, Malfoy, we were turning roses into rosemary. What properties apply to rosemary?" she asked curtly, arms crossed in front of her, tapping her foot, clearly annoyed. Draco had no idea whatsoever. Rosemary? So, he looked her straight in the eye and said clearly:  
  
"I don't know, Professor." More snickers.  
  
"It figures. Normally, when answering a question, it helps to pay attention. She said, looking down her sharp nose at him. "Malfoy, see me after class."  
  
"Great, I probably have detention. Wonderful." Draco thought as McGonogall started to tell them the answer to the question. His insides twisted. Somehow, he knew, his father would find out. He always did. His father liked to check up on him, making sure he knew what Draco was up to, and constantly nagged him about his grades. Some rubbish about, "upholding the Malfoy name." Draco admired his father very much, but sometimes, in his opinion, his father went a little overboard. The bell suddenly rang, and Draco put his books and parchment away, and trudged slowly up to McGonogall's desk.  
  
"Professor?" he asked, looking at the stern woman's profile.  
  
"Yes, Malfoy," she said, turning to him," I have been talking to Professor Snape and your other teachers. It seems that your grades are in a need of picking up. You do realize that should you fail to do this, you will have to repeat the year."  
  
Draco's head snapped up.  
  
"What? Professor, I can't fail! I just.can't. My-"  
  
"Which is why" She interrupted, "I believe I have come to an answer. You will have another student tutor you. Please report to me after my Gryffindor class at 2:30. That will be all."  
  
Draco nodded to show he understood, the turned and hurried out of the classroom.  
  
***  
  
"Hermione, pass the potatoes."  
  
Hermione, eyes glued to her book, reached to her left, and passed Ron the bowl of boiled potatoes. He scooped four onto his plate, buttered them, and then began to eat as though he hadn't had food in a week.  
  
"Honestly Ron, slow down." She said, and nudged him with her elbow. The black-haired boy across from Hermione laughed.  
  
"Want a shovel?" Harry asked, jokingly. Ron grunted, and continued eating.  
  
The bell rang faintly in the distance, making her tear her eyes from her book for the first time in the last half hour. She was in a good mood. She had earned 20 points for Gryffindor total today with all the questions she'd answered. She'd managed to avoid a small argument with Ron over his obsession of Quidditch, and whether or not it was healthy. Finishing the morning with a good lunch, she was now on her way to Transfiguration, with Professor McGonogall. She hugged her book to her chest and started walking, wanting to get going.  
  
"Come on guys!" she yelled, turning to see Ron shoving a last potato in his mouth and Harry, slinging his bag over his shoulder. She laughed and turned back around, figuring they'd catch up, when she walked headlong into someone. She was about to apologize when her eyes met with cold silver ones. The apology died in her throat.  
  
"Malfoy." She said, glaring. He glared back at her, then stepped aside and pushed past her. Apparently he was in a hurry. "Well, I hope he keeps it that way." She thought, and ran up the marble staircase, and into the transfiguration classroom, where Professor Mcgonogall looked up from her desk.  
  
"Miss Granger, I'm afraid I have a bit of a favor I need to ask." Setting her book on her desk, Hermione smiled and looked at her teacher.  
  
"Sure, Professor, what can I do?" Professor McGonogall clasped her hands together and looked at Hermione over her spectacles.  
  
"Miss Granger, I would like you to tutor another student for me. This particular student is in serious danger of failing the year. I was hoping you'd help him pick his grades up. I would be willing to provide you with materials you might need, and I will give you extra credit if you would. "  
  
"Of course, I will, Professor. Who is it? Do I know them?"  
  
"Yes, I believe you do. You will meet the student today, later. Come see me after class." Hermione went to her seat and sat down, watching the rest of the students piling into the classroom. Harry and Ron emerged from the crowd and walked over to her.  
  
"Hey, Hermoine, why did you leave us like that?" Ron huffed. Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Guess what? Professor McGonogall wants me to tutor someone. Harry looked up from searching for an available quill in his bag.  
  
"Really? Who is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Tutor? Why in the world would you want to tutor a stupid git?" asked Ron, polite as usual. Choosing to ignore him, Hermione looked at Harry and said,  
  
"I don't know who it is. I'm meeting them today. When I find out, I'll tell you." Satisfied, she turned back to face the front and began to take notes.  
  
***  
  
"Now class, point your wand at the petals and say, 'Surucio!'" ordered Professor Mcgonogall.  
  
"Surucio!" echoed the class.  
  
"Surucio," said Hermione quietly, concentrating, her wand tip hovering a few inches away from the rose petals. A moment later, a small pile of rosemary lay neatly on her desk.  
  
"Excellent, Miss Granger. 10 points to Gryffindor." Hermione smiled. Harry and Ron beamed at her.  
  
"You may want to keep your rosemary, it can be used for several potions." Said Professor McGonogall. A second later, the bell rang. Hermione packed up her things and caught sight of Harry and Ron waiting for her at the door. She waved at them, gesturing for them to go,  
  
"Go on, I'll catch up." She yelled.  
  
"Okay, see you Hermione!" said Ron.  
  
"Bye Hermione, and hurry up!" Harry shouted, and they both joined the swarm of people sweeping up the marble staircase.  
  
***  
  
Draco struggled to move forward, pushing through the mass of people moving in the opposite direction. He shoved a couple of first years out of the way, ignoring their insults and protests. Ever since McGonogall had talked to him this morning, he'd been thinking about this tutoring thing. He'd managed to make himself to think that it wouldn't be so bad. He would pick his grades up, and, if it was so bad, he'd.do something. "So I didn't get that far. But.let's just see. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe." 


	2. The Dragon Meets the Teacher

Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously, cept for my plot, which I'm not  
even sure is mine. T_T Oh, well..And if I owned these guys, do you  
honestly think I would be writing fanfiction?  
  
Draco finally reached the classroom where he found several  
Gryffindors he recognized. There was Patil, Finnigan, Thomas, and a  
moment later, Potter and Weasley. He noticed that Granger wasn't with  
them. Weasley looked mildly surprised, and Potter glared, shooting  
daggers. Draco sneered, then shrugged, and shifted his gaze away.  
  
He continued to shove Gryffindors away until he reached the doorframe,  
and pulled himself to the interior of the classroom. The only person  
left in there was mudblood Granger. He glanced at her briefly, and  
then continued to McGonogall's desk.  
  
"Yes, Professor?" he drawled dully. He noticed Granger, recognizing  
the voice, looked up from cramming a large book in her bag. She zipped  
up her bag, and slung over her shoulder, coming up behind him.  
"Professor?" she asked softly. Draco's eyes widened as the thought hit  
him. No way. No way in-  
  
Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy," she paused, and Draco was sure of two  
things. One, she was trying to suppress a smile, which infuriated him,  
as he saw nothing funny, and two, that each and every one of his  
nerves was shredding itself in pieces. She looked at them both, and  
said, "Miss Granger, this is the student whom I would like you to  
tutor. Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger will be the one tutoring you.  
Granger, if you happen to need anything, please come to me, and I will  
do my best to supply it. Malfoy, I simply suggest you learn as much as  
you can from her."  
  
She stood, and gathered her books in here arms, and said to them,  
"Now, I have business to attend to, if you would kindly follow me out,  
I will leave you two to sort out a plan." For a moment, the two of  
them stood there, both at a loss for words. Hurrying out of the  
classroom, the watched McGonogall's retreating back before it rounded  
the corner. Still speechless, the two turned to each other, mouths  
slightly open.  
  
"Wha-uh-" Draco sputtered, and then ran his hands back through his  
hair. "Bloody hell."  
  
Hermione simply glared at him.  
  
"Too right, bloody hell. This is all your fault you know."  
  
"What?! How?!"  
  
"If you hadn't dropped your bloody grades, I wouldn't be stuck  
tutoring you!!" she opened her mouth to say more, but in the end just  
took a deep breath, trying to regain her self-control, and not go  
combustive on Malfoy in the middle of the corridor. I'll do that  
later.. "Okay, Malfoy, I need you to get everyone out of your common  
room tonight at 8 o' clock..." Draco opened his mouth to protest, then  
ask why, but instead what came out was:  
  
"And what makes you think I'm gonna let a filthy mudblood like you  
teach me?" Instantly, he wished he'd said nothing. For a second he  
thought he saw hurt flicker in the back of her eyes, but that wasn't  
his reason for wanting to have shut up. She whipped her wand out of  
her robes and had it's tip almost touching his throat.  
  
"Call me mudblood again, Malfoy, and I'll let you fail the year. I can  
teach you the wrong information, and I will. And you'll fail the year.  
Understand? I'll tutor you, but if you don't want to cooperate, I  
can't.and won't.help you. So I suggest you make up your mind." Slowly  
she removed her wand, and stuck it back into her pockets.  
  
"Alright, I'll quit.for now. Anyway, why do you need everyone  
out?" he asked. All she did was grin mysteriously (and rather  
dangerously, Draco thought) in return, then she turned around and  
hurried away. Draco sighed, cursing the any heavenly being he could  
think of.  
"Honestly, what did I do to deserve this?"  
  
As soon as Hermione rounded the corner, she dropped her evil grin and  
the thought that crossed her mind over and over again was: What in the  
world am I going to do? She took another deep breath to clear her  
mind. Okay, Hermione, you need to talk to someone; go find Harry and  
Ron, she thought. She nodded at her own advice, and with that, ran up  
two staircases, behind a tapestry of a goblin, and scrambled up  
another set of stairs where she emerged in front of the Fat Lady's  
portrait.  
  
"Password?" the Fat Lady squawked.  
  
"Oddment." she panted, and climbed through the portrait hole.  
There were people laughing and talking, doing their homework.  
People were laughing at the twins, doing various jokes, and as  
Hermione glanced at them, they turned Lee Jordan's hair acid  
green. Lee was pretending to choke Fred to find out what was so  
funny, while George fell on the floor, laughing.  
  
Hermione smiled, and circled the common room twice, looking for  
her friends but they were nowhere to be found. She walked over  
to George and since he was still on the floor, she nudged him  
with her foot.  
  
"George, where are Ron and Harry?" she asked. Between laughs, he  
managed to choke out "I think they're-in- their dorm." She  
nodded and thanked him, and then was halfway-up the boys'  
dormitory stairs before she turned around. Yes.there was Seamus,  
and Neville.and Dean was over there. That meant they were alone,  
good. She didn't want to bust in on them with the others in  
there. She opened the door at the top of the stairs, and walked  
in, shutting it quietly behind her.  
  
Harry was stretched out on his bed, an open book perched on his  
knees, and was reading, while Ron talked endlessly about  
something the Taraponto Tree Skimmers had done last Quidditch  
Season.  
  
"Guys?" Hermione asked quietly. Both of them jerked their heads  
up. Ron grinned. "Hi Hermione!" he said cheerfully. Harry smiled  
too. "Hi Hermione, whatcha doing here?" Before she answered,  
she looked for a place to sit. Two of the empty beds were  
unmade, and though Dean's was made up, it had a funny smell  
radiating from it.  
  
So she went to Ron's bed, which was the closest. He scooted to  
the side to make room for her, and she sat down on the end. She  
positioned herself to face them both, then said, "I.figured out  
who I'm tutoring.it's." but she couldn't finish the sentence.  
  
"Who?" said Harry, one eyebrow raised curiously over his  
glasses. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Malfoy."  
  
A/N::: Well, how did you like that? I have to thank Cygna Apodis  
for bugging me so badly otherwise this chapter may have never  
been posted, and to all you kind people who reviewed. (sniff)  
Thanks so much! How will Harry and Ron react when they find  
that Hermione is stuck tutoring the evilest kid in school? How  
will Draco cope with the fact that he has to learn from the foul-  
blooded genius? And why of all questions is Hermione emptying  
out the Slytherin common room? Find out in the next chapter!!  
  
Oh yes, and you guys will only get my next chapter for 7  
reviews. Thanks! 


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